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Twenty-Five
SEASON FINALE FINDS PRESIDENT TAKING DRASTIC MEASURES IN ADMINISTRATION'S GREATEST CRISIS -- In the season finale, a national crisis is thrust on the President (Martin Sheen) on the night of his daughter Zoey's graduation, forcing him to shut down Washington, D.C. as he orders the Fifth Fleet to the Persian Gulf -- all of which prompts Bartlet to consider executive action that would have been unthinkable just hours earlier. In the midst of the administration's greatest challenge, a conflicted Toby (Richard Schiff) still finds time to savor a personal milestone on the best day of his life. Summary Cast :Stockard Channing as Abigail Bartlet :Dulé Hill as Charlie Young :Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg :Joshua Malina as Will Bailey :Janel Moloney as Donna Moss :Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler :John Spencer as Leo McGarry :Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman :and Martin Sheen as President Bartlet Special Guest Stars :Mary-Louise Parker as Amy Gardner :John Goodman as Glen Allen Walken (uncredited) :with John Amos as Admiral Fitzwallace :and Taye Diggs as Wesley Davis Guest Starring :Michael O'Neill as Ron Butterfield :Anna Deavere Smith as Nancy McNally :Clark Gregg as Special Agent Casper :Harry Groener as Roger Tribbey :NiCole Robinson as Margaret Hooper :Trent Ford as Jean-Paul Vicomte de Bourbon :Alan Dale as Mitch Bryce :Vernee Watson-Johnson as Nurse :J. Patrick McCormack as General Wendall Co-Starring :Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol Fitzpatrick :Kim Webster as Ginger :Devika Parikh as Bonnie :Laura Gardner as Gwen :Kris Murphy as Katie Witt :Timothy Davis-Reed as Mark O'Donnell :Charles Noland as Steve :Randolph Brooks as Arthur Leeds :Susanne Filkins as Geri :Sha' Bennett as Peggy :Lucy Butler as Jill :Lance E. Nichols as Jay :Milt Tarver as Jerry :Jon Van Ness as Andrew :Dan Manning as Banks :John Antonini as Jamie Reed :Shannon Marshall as Randy Weathers :Gary Telles as FBI Agent #1 :Kathryn Klavana as FBI Agent #2 :Weston Blakesley as Dr. Wellman :Brady Rubin as Justice Sharon Day :Haskell Vaughn Anderson III as Interior Secretary :Estuardo Rodriguez Minano as Paramedic :Ivan Allen as Roger Salier :Keely Jones as Reporter :Diane Badger as Cabinet Member :Jim Gabriel as Cabinet Member Quotes : C.J.: Well, the President and the Speaker have to make it clear to the country that there's someone in charge. :Josh: I'd argue we first have to make it clear to the world that there's someone in charge. :Will: I'd make it clear to Bahji that there's someone in charge. :Speaker Walken: Franz Ferdinand, who was the nephew of the Austro-Hungarian emperor, was killed by a group called the Black Hand. And because they were a Serbian nationalist society, the empire declared war on Serbia. Then Russia, which was bound by a treaty, was forced to mobilize which meant that Germany had to declare war on Russia. Then France declared war on Germany, and that was World War I. Because the emperor's nephew was killed. Now, I thought you all had some good ideas, but somebody oughta make it clear to the people in this room that someone is in charge. :President Bartlet: Glen, they've been up all night. :Speaker Walken: You're relieved, Mr. President. Trivia *3 years prior, President Bartlet describes to his daughter, Zoey, a so-called "Nightmare Scenario". This scenario is taken almost word for word and incorporated into this episode, where Zoey actually does get kidnapped, at a large party, and people are killed in the process. Below is what President Bartlet said to Zoey back then: *When several of the members question Bartlet on his decision, the first is Roger Tribbey, Secretary of Agriculture, who appears in "He Shall, From Time to Time" as the cabinet member who is held out of the State of the Union address. ERRORS *There is no Saw Mill River Nuclear Reactor in Richland, Washington. The Saw Mill River is in Westchester County, NY. There is a nuclear reactor named the Columbia Generating Station 10 miles north of Richland, Washington, operated by Energy Northwest. Additionally, the Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Reservation is also located just north of Richland. There is a Savannah River nuclear facility, but in South Carolina. *One of the big sources of dramatic tension through the kidnapping plot is the fact that Walken, a Republican, is acting as the president during a Democrat's administration. But this might be overstating the conflict of how the situation would play out. As the episode correctly depicts, and as stated in the Succession Act of 1947, the Speaker has to resign his office in order to act as president. Or, put another way, his resignation (and the President Pro Tem of the senate, should it get that far) is a qualification for acting as president. Thus, if he doesn't resign, he can't act as president. The President, Leo, Josh and the others could have met with him to discuss next steps, and suggest that he not resign so that the Secretary of State could act as president through the crisis. This is a slight hint of this when Leo asks Walken if he really wants to resign. Since Walken would still outrank Berryhill in terms of succession, he would be able to step in at any time to act as president should Bartlet's self-removal from office become permanent and Walken felt it was his time to step up. Of course, this may have led to a different set of partisan conflicts but that wasn't the thrust of the episode. It's also possible that such as partisan succession split could lead to a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of including Congressional officers in the Succession Act. Further, according to the 25th Amendment and the Succession Act, only the vice president would actually become the president upon the removal or death of the president. Anyone else in that position would merely be acting as president, as in they would be allowed to exercise the powers of the office but not actually hold the title. Later episodes seem to treat Walken as if he really were the president. CONTINUITY *During the roll call vote of the cabinet members, it appears that Secretary of Defense Hutchinson is not the same individual who portrays him later (though the Secretary is supposed to be Hutchinson the entire time) and though he is not seen. *Leo says Walken would have to wait until the midterms to run for Congress again. However, congressional vacancies would have to be filed by a special election, which Walken would be eligible to run for and, given the circumstances of his resignation, would likely win. And given the situation was resolved quickly, it's doubtful an election would have been held that quickly. However, Walken returning to Congress is never addressed again in the series. Further, the potential for a quick resolution to the kidnapping and Walken winning a special election would likely cause the majority to delay filling the Speaker's seat again in case Walken wanted it back. The short-term murkiness of the situation is precisely why letting the Secretary of State handle the early parts of the crisis as acting president would have been more prudent, both practically and politically.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0745720/ Twenty Five @ IMDb] — Trivia copied from IMDb BEHIND THE SCENES *In the DVD commentary it is mentioned that the show had to deal with 12 - 16 real babies and their mothers for the scene in "25" where Toby has a private conversation with his newborn twins. Notes and references Category:Episodes Category:Season 4